When I meet a Commercial Broker, Building Owner, or Investor for the first time and tell them what I do for a living, this question is almost always asked: “Why is it that I can ask four different people to measure a building and I get four different answers to my basic question. “How big is my building?“
The real questions may be many
- What number do I put on my leases?
- What number can I use in my triple nets?
- What number am I paying taxes on?
- What number(s) am I to use in purchase analysis?
The answer to that question lies in some very simple facts because after all when a measurement is taken it is a piece of data. When a building is measured it is thousands maybe millions of pieces of data. Let’s see what happens with that data that would cause the answer to one question, “How big is my building?” to vary.
- Who measured and drew the plans? This is a basic question, but at the core of getting accurate usable data. Relying on old construction plans is not reliable because changes are made during construction in the field that may never make it back on paper, OR an error of an inch (or several) is easily passed by during construction in the field. In order to perform the specialized service of creating exact as-built plans of any space you must rely on an expert. Experts are knowledgeable of the correct processes and tools needed to ensure high precision and eliminate common errors made by amateurs. This is not the place to cut corners and costs, you get what you pay for. Companies that specialize in as-built architectural services are your best bet because this is a specialized function of Architecture. This type of architectural surveying is not taught in American Universities and Trade Schools, there is no license requirement to perform these services in the U.S. and there are many self proclaimed “experts” and nationwide companies out there. A one man show may be cheap, but how do you trust the results and national companies usually outsource the data collection, the most crucial part, to local people with very little oversight. Choose wisely.
- What method of calculation is used? Did you add or subtract? Did you include all of the walls or take some out? This is a complex question and it all comes down to a simple fact: Use the correct BOMA Standard of Measurement and Calculation for your type of building. Yes it’s true, there are six different BOMA Standards to be used for Commercial Buildings and they all read differently. In choosing the correct method of calculation the first question to answer is this. What kind of building do I have? A) Office B) Industrial D) Retail orD) All of the Above (Mixed Use) The answer will drive the Standard used and thus the calculation method.
If these two basic fundamentals of gathering and analyzing the data are followed by qualified experts, there is only one true answer to your question. These are the numbers that will drive your Income, Expenses, Taxes, NNN, Budgets. Essential fact based analysis by qualified experts will help reduce the amount tolerance to that basic question, “How big is my building?”
What makes an expert in a field that has little if any oversight? Experience. In order to survive in a field where integrity of data and analysis is key, a company with a long history of success with all types of as-built architectural services and daily use of the complex BOMA Standards is who you need to trust. Call or email us at Dimensions Floorplans with any questions (or answers) we may help with on this subject!
